Rich Watkin's queer play Happily Ever Poofter Review: Riotous one-man musical that will leave you merry and gay (happy!)

Most fairytales promise the same ending - a prince meets a princess, they fall in love, and then they live happily ever after. But what happens when the prince is looking for a happily ever after, just not with a princess but a prince? And in the kingdom far away, no one like you exists?

That is exactly the premise of Happily Ever Poofter, a riotous one-man musical comedy created and performed by Rich Watkins. Equal parts cabaret, parody and social commentary, the play gleefully tears apart the heteronormative fantasy of classic fairytales and replaces it with something much campier, louder and surprisingly heartfelt.

At its centre is Prince Henry, the only gay man in his kingdom. Unsurprisingly, the traditional fairytale narrative does not quite work for him. With the help of a Fairy Godfather, Henry is whisked away from his pristine storybook land to the messy, chaotic reality of the modern gay scene, where he sets out on a quest to find something that all fairytale heroes are promised but rarely question- true love.

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Prince Henry’s journey through the modern world is funny, outrageous and sometimes deliberately absurd. One moment he is belting out a gloriously inappropriate parody of a Disney classic, and the next he is confronting the realities of queer identity, loneliness and the search for belonging. The play explodes into a whirlwind of parodied Disney songs, audience interaction, costume changes and unapologetic camp. The jokes are something just in-your-face crude, but they are placed perfectly in the play.

The most striking thing about Happily Ever Poofter is its energy. Watkins performs the entire show alone, juggling multiple characters while singing, dancing and interacting with the audience with the kind of confidence that feels closer to a drag cabaret than a traditional theatre performance. In fact, the show often leans into pantomime traditions, with the audience becoming part of the chaos as much as the performer himself. It is such a delight to watch him go all-out, in tights and with ample glitter all over!

Watkins’ charisma singularly carries the show. His willingness to lean into the silliness, and occasionally make the limitations part of the joke, becomes part of the charm. in the limited space of Khar comedy Club in sweltering Mumbai heat, he managed to carry on despite sweating profusely! And while the show was leaning into questions of identity and representation, it also very daftly included problems that the gay community more often than not has to face - sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and PrEP.

What makes Happily Ever Poofter memorable, however, is not just the comedy. It is the way the play manages to turn a very simple idea into something oddly empowering. If the fairytale does not include you, then perhaps the answer is simple, write your own! And, that it a community to truly create magic!

By the end, the show becomes less about mocking Disney tropes and more about reclaiming the fairytale itself. The message is clear. When the story forgets you, you do not wait for an invitation. You create your own happily ever after, and preferably with glitter.

Happily Ever Poofter is playing in Mumbai as a part of the debut Mumbai Fringe Festival.